Wolf & Hunter
by Prohibited xx Flower
Summary: "He is the very last of his race, and the most dangerous. His thirst for vengence against humans transformed him into a monster." In a world full of fiends and mystical forests, a young girl decides to start her adventure in hopes to encounter a lone Uchiha wolf. A story where the little red riding hood is a hunter in disguise. [SasuSaku] with NaruHina on the side.
1. Intro

_This is an introduction chaper._

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><p><span><strong>Wolf &amp; Hunter.<strong>

_An adventure filled with fantasy._

_When I was just a little child, my father used to take me in the forest in order to learn the basics of hunting. As a future kunoichi and huntress, I was told to pay great attention to my father's instructions._

_The war we were in lasted for centuries; the war between us humans and the creatures of the night. My father called them 'the messengers of the underworld' and warned me to never have mercy of them. Quite frankly, I never fully understood my father's attitude towards them, since they never openly attacked us; I believed that they weren't as harmful as they were rumoured to be._

_I remember being only six years old at that time, as I was following father deep inside the forest I noticed the most beautiful eastern redbud I had ever seen, circled by a small group of lightning bugs. As a child, I was very curious and decided to contemplate at the beautiful sight. Unconsciously dazing-off, I realized that I lost trail of my father, hence getting myself lost._

_Suddenly the unpleasant feeling of being alone and left out in a forest full of unknown creatures took over the best of me, and as a harmless six-year old, I've done what I could do best; cry._

_I cried and cried non-stop, yelling for my father to come and pick me up, but in vain. He never came back for me, and I was there... alone._

_I thought it was the end, that a monster would come and get me any minute now and devour me without leaving a trace of my body, that I would be painfully ripped into pieces and nobody would have ever known of my disappearance._

_But as soon as I thought I lost hope; that a small and lovely black puppy appeared from the bushes and came towards me. I looked at the little creature while rubbing my teary eyes, still frightened by my current situation. The puppy looked at me with its big black onyx eyes and didn't move from the spot, instead; it kept looking at my pathetic trembling figure without a word._

_I didn't pay attention to the puppy, I didn't even try to acknowledge its presence, my mind turned blank while my spirit and body fell into despair. As I held my shoulders tightly while rocking left to right, the puppy slowly approached me and jumped on my lap, looking at me._

_For a brief moment I stopped crying and looked at the little fur ball. A voice reached me suddenly, a warm deep voice that whispered in a reassuring tone..._

_'Don't cry... your father is near...'_

_I glanced at both sides of the forest but saw no one. Thinking that my fright bought me to insanity, I decided to ignore the voice I just heard until it whispered something else._

_'He's coming... he's near... I sense him.'_

_Again, I tried to look for a person but found none. My eyes who were searching for a humanoid figure explored the whole horizon until they fell on the small animal on my lap. Looking at the creature, I whispered; my voice trembling._

_"Was that you?" I asked in disbelief._

_The puppy didn't blink, instead it lifted its paws and rested them on my chest; expending himself to reach my face and lick my salty tears away. The act of kindness from an animal managed to ease my heart, the warmth of the little puppy appeased me. I looked into the little guy's eyes and held him tightly, without further thought I whispered a 'thank you' before a small tear dropped from my eyes._

_I then glanced at the darkest path, then stood up; the puppy still in my arms._

_I didn't want to wait, I didn't want to be left out, and so I walked. Walked without looking back, in search of my father. With the warmth of my new companion, I felt like I was ready to challenge everything, no one scared me at the moment. I felt strong._

_As I walked deeper inside the forest, the same voice haunted me._

_'Stop... don't go any further.'_

_And I stopped, just as I was told._

_'... run...' it whispered, then repeated the word with a higher tone, 'run!'._

_And I did, I ran and ran as fast as I could, as if my own life depended on it. The puppy that was still in my arms was stern, it didn't move a muscle nor did it bother looking back. I didn't bother looking behind me knowing full well that something is chasing us, I felt the presence awfully well that my hair was rising up from fear._

_Without paying much attention, I tripped and fell on the ground, hurting myself. I was so frightened that the pain in my knee suddenly didn't matter anymore; instead I turned around to face at the dark path behind me, feeling the menacing aura get closer. The puppy remained close to me, not leaving my side._

_This was it, whatever it was that chased me; it won the chase. Now, I am under his mercy._

_I closed my eyes, perhaps if I didn't see anything, perhaps if I tried to pretend it wasn't there. Then maybe... maybe it'll be less painful?_

_The steps got closer and closer; I hugged my own shoulders and bit my bottom lip fiercely. The taste of blood, the sound of the creaking wood branches on the floor, the breathing of puppy, my heart beat..._

_All at once... time stopped... and then, a gunshot was heard._

_I opened one eye, very slowly. And then, I noticed my father's tall muscular figure next to a bloody corpse. He turned around and rushed towards me, hugging my small body with all his might and told me everything was okay, that he's here now and that he won't let any demon get me. And thus, I cried quietly on his comforting chest._

_But as we were about to head back home, I realized the puppy was gone..._

_After describing the little animal to my mother, she revealed to me that it wasn't a puppy but a wolf cub. Being the young girl I was back then, it was hard for me to decipher which race is which whenever they have a similarity between the two. Mother warned me not to get too close to the wolves of the forest, since they aren't ordinary canines but mystical creatures with the ability to take on humanoid forms._

_While I nodded silently, a small voice in my head told me that the little wolf meant no harm. Remembering his gentle act of licking away my tears, remaining by my side and giving me his warmth._

_I glanced at my window to admire the forest in its full beauty._

_But deep inside the forest, I spotted an unknown figure standing there. As I looked better; it was a small boy over my age looking towards my direction._

_A familiar pair of onyx black eyes._

_I whispered in disbelief, "Was that you?"_

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><p>Intro End.<p>

_The actual first chapter will be updated soon. Please review if you enjoyed this introduction. Support is appreciated._


	2. Scenery of the night

_**Edit: It seems there has been a bug regarding this chapter. I certainly hope I've fixed it after Re-uplauding it.**  
>For those who reviewed the introduction chapter, thank you.<br>This is my first fanficiton, treat me well. I learned the English language pretty recently, so please don't be harsh when you encounter some mistakes ^^;.  
>Sit back and enjoy the story.<em>

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><p><span> <strong>Wolf &amp; Hunter.<strong>

Scenery of the night.

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><p>With every little step I took, the atmosphere started to get heavier and heavier second by second; the bouquet of flowers which I held on tightly began to wilt after half an hour of walking under the summer heat. A drip of sweat fell from my chin as I continued to head towards the cemetery, which was pretty far away from the village. I eventually got used to the heat after visiting my mother's grave more often. Konoha is a village known for being in the centre of the Mystical forest, hence sheltered from the sun's heat, if any other villager went outside of the safe area; he'd certainly give up after 10 minutes of walking. But it wasn't the case for me, since unlike them, I'm stubborn enough to go out by myself, if it means paying a visit to my deceased mother's grave.<p>

How long has it been, three years? I can't fully remember, since everything happened so fast. All I could decipher was my mother's lifeless body and my father's tears.

My father wasn't the same since then; he vowed everyday to exterminate the fiends from the forest to avenge my mother's death, leaving the house everyday to go out regularly on a patrol in the forest. Because of that I rarely see him nowadays.

After five more minutes of painful walking, I finally arrived at the cemetery where my mother rested peacefully. _About time… _I muttered to myself. As I opened the rusted gates, I walked towards my mother's grave, because she was part of the Haruno clan, her grave was situated alongside my ancestor's, whom I deeply respected.

I squatted near the grave and set down the bouquet of lilies I picked up on our garden. Somehow whenever I come there I can't help but unconsciously smile when I read my mother's name, _Mebuki Haruno._

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, "How do you do, mom? It's been a while now hasn't it?" As the words left my mouth, the beautiful vision of my mother appeared before me, smiling at me ever so sweetly.

"Dad got drunk again, not a surprise since he's been very busy these days." I sighed, then continued; "But I'm sure he drinks because of you, mom."

Looking up at the sky, I closed my eyes.

"It's only been three years, really… barely three years ago you were still with us, still smiling and cooking us you're delicious meals, I think… that even now he still doesn't want to believe that you're just… not here anymore."

With that, I clenched my fists.

"I don't recognize him anymore, mom. He's been obsessed with revenge these days, he keeps talking about new ways to exterminate all the fiends in the forest and… I just can't keep up with him, you know?! He even told me to drop out of school and start training as a hunter. I can't do that, now can I? I'm still a kunoichi despite being from the haruno clan… yet… yet!"

_Alright… calm down._

The image of my mother smiling suddenly faded; instead, I saw her grim face looking down at me, sadness written in her eyes.

"I miss you mom, I'm sure that if you were still with us then none of that would've happened!" I muttered mainly to myself, gritting my teeth, "Dad won't listen to my pleas, and the village is just as stupid as him! I'm so tired of this, I just… want to put an end to this all!"

"Very emotional this time, aren't we?" A feminine voice startled me.

As I turned to the right, I noticed a small black cat licking its paw on the nearby tree's branch. I wiped off my tears and smiled, "Oh, Kohinata! What are you doing here?" I asked nervously. The black cat jumped off from the tree and came towards my direction, "I came to check up on you, of course! I was worried."

I tilted my head, "Worried about me? You're too overprotective!" I joked while waving my hand. Kohinata didn't find it funny though.

"Sakura… you've changed."

Blinking twice, I tried to give my most reassuring smile, "You think so?"

She nodded, "You're just not like you used to be."

Moving my gaze elsewhere, I sighed. At times, Kohinata would just think too much, I understand it's her duty to protect me; she after all… served our clan for centuries and is our most loyal familiar. My father entrusted her to me—er… rather entrusted me to her five years ago when I turned eleven as a companion. I believed so back then, however, in truth she was told to protect me from whatever danger lied ahead. Like every other fiend, she has a human form, but uses it on extreme situations only. I saw it once when the clan was attacked, and all I could see was the beauty of her long raven black hair and fierce golden eyes as well as sharp fangs and claws. It was the first and last time I saw her in her human form.

Some fiends, (creatures of the night) are stronger on their real form while others have to transform into a more humanoid form in order to have access to their fullest capabilities, Kohinata is the type that gets stronger once she uses her human form.

But even though she kept serving our clan loyally all these years, no one acknowledged her as part of the family; they only saw her as a monster that hasn't got the rights to stand beside us, humans. Which is, in my opinion… extremely ungrateful.

In my eyes, Kohinata is probably the most trustworthy living being in this planet, the only one whom I can rely to. My most precious friend.

Standing up, I took my bagpack and stretched, ready to leave. Kohinata jumped on my shoulder and teasingly rested her paw on my jaw, "You know, you should at least be grateful of having me by your side, what kind of cat would decide to come here in such a heat?"

I grinned, "The same kind of cat that eats half my bentou everyday I presume."

The black cat averted her eyes while sticking out her small tongue, "Oh come on, that was long ago… I don't do that anymore!"

I started laughing as I began to walk my way towards the village. Suddenly stopping, I tilted my head to give on last glance at my mother's grave, then marched forward.

This time, the walk was surprisingly pleasant. My thoughts were that it was perhaps due to me having company this time.

I always loved discussing with Kohinata; whom always had something interesting to say, we would talk for hours and never grow tired of it. When I was little, she would often play with me on my loneliest days and would cheer me up whenever I'd get depressed over something. Dad didn't mind me having a close bond with her… not until now. After mom's death, dad was extremely overprotective and had my safety above everything else. Kohinata, whom always lived with us was forced to stay outside in the forest, in fear of her betrayal.

But that didn't stop me from still seeing Kohinata, who promised to accompany me most of the times I'd go out. Even though she could have just left us forever and taste the delicacy of freedom; she chose to remain by my side and to keep protecting me. And because of that, I promised to protect her as well, even if my help wasn't needed.

After walking for another half hour, we both arrived near the village gates with just as much workout since we left. My lips curved into a triumphant smile as wiped off the sweat from my forehead, "Well, that wasn't so bad now was it?" Kohinata teased. I couldn't help but glare at her.

"Oh please, you've been resting on my shoulder the whole time!"

She rolled her golden eyes, "It's extremely hard for me to walk in such a long distance in such heat when I'm on this form." She explained.

I raised an eyebrow, "Well you did a good job following me there, so why would it be so hard to go back?"

Kohinata raised her paw, "Don't ask."

"Fine!" I muttered while pouting.

While walking into the village, I noticed the many worried stares coming from the pedestrians towards us. Every each and one of them were whispering unknown rumors to their comrade's ear. It didn't bother me though, since I gradually got used to it. Apparently, the one who kept getting attention wasn't me but Kohinata, who was well-known in the village for being our clan's trusted familiar. Her collar had our round-shaped sign to proclaim her as part of the clan's property, and because of that; most of the outsiders figured out about her as well. It was unsettling before, but it's not as much now. Eventually I got worried about her feelings, but it seems that she doesn't really care at all.

Tilting my head, I smiled at her; "You okay there?" I asked concerned, she glanced at me with a hint of a smile, "Of course I am, why?"

I looked away and shrugged, "Cause'."

Getting closer to the Haruno estate, I glanced at my little comrade who nodded back at me, then jumped off my shoulder.

"So, what are you about to do?" I asked curiously, she smiled in return.

"I'll go and hunt some fish; I haven't eaten anything since yesterday."

Looking at the ground, I rested my hand near my heart, "If only dad let you stay, I would have fed you properly."

Kohinata looked at me with puzzled eyes then chuckled lightly, "What's with that? Why are you so remorseful?"

"I… I mean, it must be really hard to find food in the forest, especially with all these dangerous fiends…"

She sighed in annoyance while licking her paw, "Even after all these years, you keep underestimating me, I told you already that there's nothing to worry about."

"But with that collar—they are sure to know that you're our familiar and—"

"I chose to keep wearing it, Sakura. So it's entirely my responsibility, not yours. Stop worrying about every little thing, dummy! I promised to always come back for you, didn't I? Have faith in me for once."

Blinking twice, I looked at the little animal that was my best friend and smiled warmly. She was right, why was I worrying so much?

I waved my hand, still smiling brightly.

"Sorry, I know I'm annoying. Please try to stay safe, okay?"

"Says who?" She teased, and then vaneshed quietly in the forest.

Turning back towards the entrance of my clan's estate, I let out a heavy sigh and went in. Averting my eyes from my relatives' menacing stares. It didn't take too much to figure out how envious they were, since my father is the head of the clan, and the one next in line is obviously me; his only child. Many members of the clan tried to ploy something against me but failed due to them fearing Kohinata back then, however, since she is no longer allowed inside the haruno estate, they had many openings. Thankfully, having trained as a kunoichi, I learned how to protect myself. In the kind of situations where I'd be in danger, I'm glad I went in the academy. My biggest advantage is me being a kunoichi and a partial hunter, making me easily one of the strongest and most worthy opponent in my clan.

Walking heads up, proudly; I got closer and closer to the main house, where my father was surely waiting for my return. As I reached the doorstep, I noticed some unfamiliar shoes on the floor. But before I could ask myself who had come, I heard an unpleasant yell coming from my father's bedroom followed by some other mysterious voices. Without any second thought, I rushed upstairs towards the bedroom and opened the door, only but to see in my greatest shock my father's pained expression and bloody leg. The three men all turned to look at me, annoyance written on their faces, I didn't care though, the only thing that mattered to me was my dad. My only family…

"What happened…" I whispered in disbelief, eyes growing wide. One of the men bothered to answer, "He was attacked while he went on a patrol inside the forest by a creature of the night. He managed to get away thankfully, but got seriously injured on his right leg." He explained while restraining him. I approached my father's trembling form and held his hand tightly, "Father! Are you okay? Answer me!"

He couldn't reply, the only sign of him understanding and recognizing my voice was his gaze locked on mine and him tightening his hold on my hand. He opened and closed his mouth continuously in an effort to talk, yet no words came out. I gritted my teeth and noticed he was grabbing an unknown object on his other hand, as I looked closer I realized it was fur… black fur.

My thoughts were interrupted when my father started screeching unpleasantly, my eyes averted towards his injured leg, visible and bloody bite marks were engraved on his torn flesh. I covered my mouth with my hand, that scene was definitely not pleasant to watch. One of the men looked at me with a grim look, which got me thinking more… then I understood it far too well.

"No… please don't tell me…" I whispered in disbelief, the man closed his eyes. Erasing every hint of emotion on his face.

"There is no other choice; we have to cut it…"

Oh… no…

"What?!" I snapped, briskly standing up straight, eyes glowing with fury. "Don't be ridiculous! I'm sure if we bring a good medical ninja then—"

"You're the one being ridiculous, lady Sakura! Just take a look at his leg! There's no other way, it can't be healed!"

I angrily slammed my fist at the nearby table, "I'm sure it can! Please… let me take a look at it, I know a few medical techniques—"

"An amateur like you? Hah!" he scoffed, "That's the problem with you, always so full of yourself, so arrogant… when we adults, tell you there is no other way… then there isn't! Why won't you get that in your head?"

Narrowing my eyes and gritting my teeth, I held my anger as much as I could. I knew that if I didn't control myself then I would have probably exploded. It was the worst possible moment to get angry, right now the only thing that mattered is my father…

I was about to reply to his insult until one of the oldest men noticed the fur on his grip. His expression switched dramatically, the other two men noticed it as well and looked at each other with worried eyes, until they locked their gaze on me. All glaring, for some reason.

"Black fur… it's definitely not human." One of them muttered.

"It must be that traitorous Kohinata!" The other stated, I shot him back a glare.

"What?! Don't be ridiculous, Kohinata would never do such a thing!" I finally exploded. Angrily grabbing the idiot by the collar.

"Then why master Kizashi banned her?!"

"Because…!" I tried to say, but didn't find the words to use. I knew the reason, but it was too complicated for me to explain. His over protectiveness against me was too strong, he was suspicious of every living being that wasn't human. The clan didn't know of it, of course. If I talked about it, they would think of it as ridiculous.

Seeing how quiet I was, he took the opportunity to break free from my strong grip and had a triumphant grin on his face, "See? You don't have a say in this, she's definitely the one who injured our head!"

My glare intensified, even if I didn't tell him the reason of banning Kohinata, I did have the proofs that it wasn't her; "Are you an idiot? Her fur isn't as long and as thick! Plus, those bite marks are obviously not hers! If anything, then it must be a wolf!"

The oldest of the men started caressing his beard, signalizing the beginning of an endless loop of possibilities wandering inside his head. He raised an eyebrow, "A mere wolf… attacking our master and injuring him so severely? I don't think so, it must be a fiend."

"What kind?!" The younger one blurted.

"Well… like lady Sakura said, perhaps it's a wolf kind of race, but those aren't common near our village… the only ones were…"

"That's impossible, they are completely extinct!"

He sighed, "It's a supposition."

I asked out of curiosity, "Can I know what you are talking about, gramps?"

"Well, the only wolf-like fiend race near this village are the Uchiha's… rather… they were. They are completely extinct now though."

_Wolf-like race… like that time._

My thoughts raced back to the little boy I saw on the forest's entrance, his big black onyx eyes were still engraved deep inside my memories. _I wonder if he's okay? _I began to think.

Was he from the Uchiha clan?

I clenched my fists as I glanced at my father's pained expression.

_What should I do…?_

**To Be Continued.**

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><p><em>Did you enjoy this chapter? Please review! I'm sorry I updated a bit late…<em>  
><em>Happy New Year, by the way!<em>


	3. Scenery of the night II

_My sincere apologies for the late chapter!  
>Now I'm back and ready for some SasuSaku!<br>Author's Current Activity:  
>-Wolf &amp; Hunter<br>-[New] Blooming Abyss (sasusaku : Sci-Fi/Romance)_

_Soon:_  
><em>-NaruHina OneShot. RomanceFantasy._  
><em>-SasuSaku 3Chapter-fic. DramaRomance_

_Author's activity will be updated alongside the next chapters if necessary, if you wish to know more about it then feel free to visit my profile for details, currently writings fics, completed ones, chapter progression and stories that'll be published soon._

_Enjoy this chapter.  
><em>

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><p><span><strong>Wolf &amp; Hunter.<strong>

_Scenery of the night Part II_

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><p>My eyes started glowing with determination as I caressed my poor father's cheek, he was trembling in both pain and terror, as if he saw some kind of monster that arose from hell. I bit my lip, trying to figure out how to calm him down before he complicates his own situation, the injury on his leg was so severe that there was no other option but to cut it, and the worst part... the worst part is that there is a possibility of it being infected by the beast's saliva that contained some type of venom.<p>

I sighed in frustration, really... could the situation become any worse than this?

"Isn't there... an antidote?!" I asked in panic, my eyes getting teary from the thought of losing my precious father, the wise man shook his head, "Sadly, no. But even if we did find an antidote, his injury will remain just as severe, in the end; we'll still have to cut his leg, venom or not."

Looking up at the window, I gritted my teeth and turned to face the old wise geezer; "There has to be another way! We can't just cut his leg like that!" I said in an attempt to persuade him to find some sort of solution. The old man rubbed his long white beard, motion that meant he was thinking thoughtfully about something, but was cut by that idiot of a youngster –forgot his name-, "No, there is no other option! Can't you understand that?" He said as he approached me, practically breathing and spitting on my face as he did so, I cursed lightly and pushed him away by the front with my finger, his awful breath nearly made me faint.

I averted my eyes from that jerk and ignored him, my attention focused on the old man; "Please..." I begged, hoping that they won't abridge my father's precious leg.

He sighed and gave half a shrug, "Well, there might be another way... but it's extremely dangerous."

My eyes shot wide open, "Please tell me!"I practically shouted while shaking him by the shoulders insanely, I could nearly see his eyes becoming spirals as I did so. The old man backed away and cleared his throat, taking out of his pocket some sort of fluid and poured it on a handkerchief then rubbed it on my father's injury, he winced in pain and shifted uncomfortably.

"You see, there is one particular fiend that lives deep inside the waterfall forest, she is a skilled lady with amazing powers that are told to cure any type of injury, no matter how severe it is."

"B-But it's only a legend, sir!" The idiot blabbed out, making me want to punch him, -which I eventually did, on the head-, "Tell me more about it!" I insisted while clenching my fists, fire was burning in my eyes, if there is a way to save my father's leg, dignity, honour and pride, then I had to take it!

He sighed and continued his explanation, "Her name is Tsunade, she is part demon part human, rumours say she lived over ten thousand years; one of the very first living beings with the special demonic blood." He explained, his serious expression was so fierce that I nearly believed that he was the one who created that rumour, but nonetheless, I had to believe him, so I simply nodded, eager to learn more. He chuckled and patted my head, something I found out to be weird, and to my great stupefaction, he told me this while smiling pitifully; "She's the strongest fiend in the whole country, perhaps even the world! Many tried taking her down but all died without even reaching her palace, her minions are just as strong too, I doubt anyone will be brave enough to g-"

"I'll go," I immediately said, straightening myself with dignity and pride, the old man's eyes widened in surprise while the two others just slammed their heads on the wall, comically. I nearly scoffed at them for underestimating me, really now... did I look that weak?

The youngster, trying to be considerate, gave me a warm pat on the shoulder, "It's useless, just give it up! It's not like your dad will die or something, he'll just... you know, lose his leg."  
>The old guy mumbled while averting his eyes, "He would if we don't cut it, that cursed venom is slowly spreading inside his system."<p>

I pushed his hand away, eyes glowing with fury, "No, if there's a way to stop this stupid venom without cutting his leg off, then I'm willing to do it, I don't want to stay put while a fine possibility like this arises! I'm leaving!"

And with that I stormed outside, ignoring the men's pleads, I had no attention to stay any longer in that cursed house with all of those 'elders' telling me what to do and where to go, sure, dad would be worried, hell... perhaps even more than I could imagine! But it's for his own good, I know that if by any chance they really did cut off his leg, then my father will have to endure not only the biggest humiliation in the whole Haruno history but also the risk of being cast aside. Our clan has the sick compulsion to switch an 'incompetent leader' by either a younger or a tougher one, my grandfather was the head of the clan until his death, and my father; being just as strong managed to keep his statues up clear without any difficulty, until now...

_Don't worry dad, I'll come back with the help of Tsunade and we'll heal that leg of yours pronto!_

I nodded, determined.

But there was also another problem lying ahead, something important I forgot due to me obsessing over my father's injury... and that was the wolf.

Of course, it wasn't really sure whether that bite was given by a wolf or not, it was a simple supposition. But if it was really a wolf, roaming outside and getting ready to attack our village at any moment, then it's not the time to fool around. Dad is in no state to protect the clan and village, which only leads to me.

I gulped, such a heavy responsibility resting on my shoulders made me shiver. What if that wolf was actually a fiend, like the old man said? And worse... what if it was an Uchiha wolf? That fearsome race that managed to destroy three villages in one night all by themselves? These carnivorous beasts without any common sense that didn't bother show mercy to even their own comrades?

What if I had to face one of _those?!_

Calm down,

I told myself. Breathing slowly while trying to stop my heart from leaping out of my chest, the chances of crossing paths with a fiend are really slim nowadays, especially a race that is practically instinct, if I would ever encounter a creature of the night, then it would probably be Kohinata.

Walking slowly towards the gates that lead to the village, I noticed a familiar figure resting lazily on one of the houses' roofs. Lifting a curious eyebrow, I jumped up high using my kunoichi skills and approached the unknown body resting. Then it caught my eyes; bright pink short hair and a sleeveless black shirt. _Oh great, it's __**him, **__what luck Sakura!_

Pink hair was actually quite the common trait in our clan; I wasn't the only one who had it, really. However, even though many of us had all sorts of pink hair, (Amaranth, Blush, Magenta, Khaki rose, and so on...)me and _this _guy were the only ones with such stunning bright pink color, so we were both easily recognized by this familiar trait. Most of the villagers mistook us for twins, which was the most stupid thing I've ever heard in my entire life, sure... we look alike, but our personalities are completely different! And putting that aside, he's a whole 4 years older than me, even if he doesn't look like it.

Eiji Haruno, my worst enemy.

I narrowed my eyes, my lips curved into an evil smirk as a brilliant idea popped into my genius brain.

I suddenly giggled.

Taking a random brush out of my pocket (don't ask me how I managed to get that) I held out my laughter and approached his sleepy face to scribble one or two things on it, _perhaps a moustache? No, maybe a few funny words like 'jackass' or 'idiot', adding a dark beard would be fun too, oh! A unibrow would look very nice on that irritating pretty face of his; I would love to draw that_!

But as soon as I was about to start my fun session, a hand suddenly grabbed my wrist and stopped me from 'what I was about to do', I blinked twice in stupefaction when I came to realize that he wasn't actually asleep.

"Well? Where did your pride go, Haruno Princess? Attacking young and handsome men while asleep?" He said as he opened an eye, smiling boyishly at me. I gritted my teeth and shoved my tongue out, "Shut up! What's with you pretending to be asleep?!"

He straightened up and scratched the back of his head, looking at me with his dull eyes, "That's what we call meditating, baka." He yawned.

I hate him so much...

"Anyway," he started in an attempt to begin a friendly conversation, "I heard our leader got injured pretty badly, is he okay?"

I nodded, looking at the ground while resting on my knees, "He's... how should I put it... In a critical state, I think. But they said it might be okay if we cut his leg, something that I strongly-"

"Oppose to, yeah I know."

I blinked twice in surprise, then averted my eyes from his mischievous look. Eiji knew me full well already, I shouldn't be astonished because of something so silly, yet sometimes he had the nerve to come up with so many unbelievable ideas that my mind would spin. He's a genius, that I do not deny, although I'm a hundred times smarter than him, (and I'm being modest) he gets all the praise and love from the village, something that is quite unfair. But I mustn't be surprised, since our clan is more focused on physical strength and reflexes rather than pedagogy, and Eiji excelled in both of those.

Not only that, but he was very popular back in the days when he joined the academy, I remember how lots of girls turned around him, kept following him and asking him about so many stupid questions that it nearly made me want to kick the living hell out of them.

I was relieved when I heard he left the academy to start training fully as a hunter, because if he had stayed there then I have no idea how my life would had continued, imagine all of my classmates (as well as the older girls in Eiji's class) asked me continuously about Eiji, his hobbies, his favourite food, the type of girl that he likes, etc...

I'm pretty sure I would have died.

I admit he is handsome, pretty muscular, well built and has thin traits but... Wait, what?

Shaking my head and standing up abruptly, I opened my mouth wide as if I was about to start the most fascinating speech to the whole universe, "I'm heading off!" I announced proudly towards the stupefied-looking Eiji. He chuckled warmly and smiled, "Where to?" He asked.

_Oh, I'm not telling you!_ Is what I had in mind, but too bad; that's just my inner self, "I'm going to the waterfall forest and meet the demon queen Tsunade!"

His jaw dropped, "You? Go to waterfall forest? Alone?"

I nodded, proudly straightening up and looking at the sky, Eiji blinked twice then began to burst out of laughter; "Good one! I nearly fell for it!" He said between his laughs, wiping off a tear from his eyes in the process. But that's not what restrained me from glaring at him, rather than that; I was wondering how come he believed it to be a joke in the first place, "What's so funny? It's the truth!"

"Sakura Sakura Sakura..." he sighed, "You never learn, do you?"

I crossed my arms, pouting.

"Waterfall forest is one of the three most dangerous forests in the whole region," he informed me as he stood up, "It's dangerous enough passing by the border and now you want to head there? Reconsider, Sakura, sometimes it's best to accept what fate has to offer, and now you should be grateful that fate didn't take your dad to the other world."

With that, he caressed my cheek gently, "You're my precious cousin, I see you as the little sister I always wished to have, I often tease you but that's because I care about you." He smiled, "Plus, it would be one heck of a pain to start your funeral."

I punched him on the shoulder, hard. He instantly fell down and protectively held his injured area while making a pained face, "Ha ha ha," I laughed sarcastically, "And I almost fell for it too..."

A smiled appeared alongside his pained expression, "As I thought... I really hate you... agh!"

I smiled back, "Same here!" and just like that, I jumped out of the roof and headed towards Ichiraku's, where a certain somebody was waiting for me.

**XxX**

Spiky blonde hair, as stunning as the soon was the first thing I noticed as I entered the small ramen restaurant, a smile illuminated my face as I playfully slapped my buddy on his back, making him choke on his ramen and cough continuously. I sat next to him and gave him one of my infamous grins, "Heya, Naruto! Been a while, hasn't it?"

He coughed one or two times then waved his hand while breathing heavily in an attempt to regain his usual pace, I giggled at the amusing sight that I was to blame, sometimes it was just too funny to surprise the little gaki while he was enjoying Ichiraku's delicious ramen.

Coming back to his good terms, a grin appeared on his pained face, "And a good morning to you too, Sakura! Can you please stop surprising me while I'm eating breakfast?"

I blinked twice, moving my eyes from Naruto's goofy face to his ramen, "Well, it's already pretty weird seeing somebody eat ramen so early in the morning, I doubt that's good for your health."

The blond gaki shrugged and slurped on his meal, "Who cares? It's delicious! I never get tired of it." He informed me, Teuchi appeared from behind the counter and started laughing amusingly, "He's practically the only reason why we open so early in the morning, this little troublemaker!" he teased while messing up his already spiked hair. I chuckled for a moment, then remembered about my reason for coming; I suddenly took a serious expression, "Naruto," I called.

"Hm?"

I sighed slowly, "I have something to tell you, but... can you promise to keep it a secret from everyone else?"

After hearing that, he stopped slurping and gave me his whole attention, his expression became more serious as well, he did know how to read into the atmosphere, which was one of his greatest qualities. Nevertheless, he's the only person whom I can rely to right now, my closest friend and precious companion; he has something that both Kohinata and Eiji don't have, something I didn't quite manage to figure out yet.

I didn't want to lose time, so I cut through the chase, "My father's been bitten last night... by a fiend."

His eyes widened, I continued; "They said it might be a wolf-type, or something similar. That beast had some sort of venomous saliva, it's infecting my dad and he's dying slowly. They said that the only way to save him was to cut his leg, so they could stop the venom from spreading and... Get rid of it as well." I paused for a moment, then gulped; "Even if we were to find the antidote, his leg is screwed."

Naruto listened to me carefully, staring at his half-eaten meal that was probably getting cold at the moment. It was a respectful act to avoid eating when someone was talking seriously next to you, I sincerely appreciated that act; and not just because it was uncommon nowadays, but because it's proof that he does indeed care.

And with the painful throbbing of my heart that lingered in my chest; I looked up, "But there is a way, thankfully!" I said in determination, Naruto tilted his head rapidly with a both curious and relieved expression, "Really? What is it?"

My smile faded, "I have to go and find a certain Tsunade, some sort of powerful demon with amazing powers. Apparently, she lives deep inside waterfall forest and—"

"Waaaait just a moment!" He cut me halfway while lifting his hand, "When you said 'Tsunade', did you mean _the _Tsunade?! The most powerful half fiend in our country?!"

I nodded.

"Wow... Sakura, I don't know if you're aware but this is quite..."

I shook my head, "No, don't you dare say it! Because _it is not!_"

He sighed and turned to fully face me, showing me the same expression that Eiji gave me about half an hour ago, "Sakura, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way, I'm just very worried about you, that forest is nothing like the one near our village, it's packed with fiends of all sorts of ranks! Nearly all of them have a taste for humans and believe me, when you go there? A lot of ugly stuff happens, so many Jonins went out there and barely made it alive! And guess what? They didn't even reach the border!"

"But I'm a Hunter-to-be, what's the point of me living if I don't get inside that darned forest? Also... I'm not going only because of that rumoured Tsunade."

He blinked twice, his mouth partly opened.

"I don't believe..." I started saying, my thoughts racing back to ten years ago, when I met that wolf cub, when I heard that sweet and comforting voice, "... I don't believe that all fiends are like that, I'm sure some of them can be compassionate."

After hearing that, Naruto remained quiet for a good moment, his attention returned to his cold bowl of ramen which he was finishing at the moment. His calm and grim expression turned into a bright and cheerful one, "If that's what you really think, then there's no use in stopping you, am I right?" He said calmly with a wide grin.

I smiled in return while he was drinking up the whole bowl, then focused back on my story, "So, there's a reason for you coming here and informing me about this, right?"

I started twirling my thumbs, my lips curved into a pout while I was looking sheepishly at the ground, "Umm, well you see. Since I'm going to leave and start a hot-blooded and exciting adventure, I wanted— no... I need someone to look after my father, someone who's strong, understanding and super generous! In other words..." I peeked at his astonished expression, "You, Naruto."

He shook his head, "Wait, what? You want me to spy on the Haruno clan members while you're gone?!"

I frowned, although I did not mention anything about the clan members, he managed to figure out _exactly _what I wanted. Yes, it was true; I did want him to spy on those backstabbing traitors who seek the clan leader's position, Naruto, who was already pretty strong, is the best solution I could come up with.

And with one of my sweetest smiles, I pleaded, "Oh please, Naruto! You're my best friend, and the strongest shinobi that I know! I promise I'll return the favour one day, so can you do this for me?"

He remained hesitant for a good moment, I needed to find a way to persuade him before I lose more time, and then it stroke me; "Ramen for life." I murmured, his eyes shot wide open.

"What?"

"If you do this for me, I promise I'll treat you for ramen all my life."

The blond gaki looked at me with both amazement and confusion, was it all that surprising? Our clan is one of the wealthiest in the village, losing a bit of money because of that idiot and his ramen won't do any major damage to my allowance, which was... pretty massive. If I didn't mention the word 'ramen', I doubt he would have accepted, but desperate situations call for desperate measures, am I right?

Thank heavens, everything went smoothly. He was grinning so amazingly at me that I had no choice but to do the same, I hugged that jerk of a gaki and left Ichiraku's, turning one last time to bow respectively meaning a 'thank you!' to that jerk-face.

And with both the determination to find my father's saviour and possibly that wolf cub from then years ago, I headed towards the main house and entered my room, getting ready for a long and possibly painful adventure. I do admit, I am afraid; but then I ask myself if I'll feel this fear for the rest of my life.

I kept backing away from reality; the reality that old me that no matter what I do, I'd have to go inside that forest, and face the fiends. As a hunter, it was inevitable.

I had to fight my trauma, I had to face reality.

I braided my hair into two parts and wore my black sleeveless shirt, dark blue shorts, my red hood and red sneakers. Stuffing my bagpack with melee weapons and a short-range bow, food and some few other clothes in case I would need them. In other words? I was ready, ready to hunt down whatever beast lied ahead and conquer that forest with my own power, I was aware that passing through the border was no piece of care, that a little 16 year old girl like me would probably end up getting eaten by a random beast but...

I shouldn't be afraid, and I won't!

I'll find Tsunade, and I'll make her come to the village and cure my father. Kohinata will surely be with me and help me out as well, there was nothing to worry about, at least...

Who knows? Perhaps I'll meet up with a certain wolf in which I'll show my gratitude to.

I bravely approached the village's exit, in other words, the forest's entrance. I sighed heavily and clenched my fist, squeezing it near my chest.

The sweet melody of the chirping birds.

The warm feeling of the sunlight.

The endless green.

The tall trees that covered the sky.

My heart beat.

And the wolf's cry.

A single step, and here I am.

_Wait for me... little wolf. _I whispered to the wind, a smile illuminating my face.

**To Be Continued.**

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><p><em>And thus is the end of this chapter!<br>Review? Please?  
>I promise we'll meet with little wolfey Sasuke in the next one, some support? Thanks!<em>


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